Activities and Opportunities Kansas' Association of Chemistry and Physics Teachers. This ar~ociation is held in two section., both on the same dates, October 10, 17 and 18. The Northeast Section is to he held at Topekeandthesouthwesf SeetionatHutehinnon. T h e programs are somewhat different. P w a m of :he Nmlhaorl Serfion. 1. The Suggested High School Course of the American Chemical Societv. (4 From the standpoint of the High School-Harry James, Emporia High School. From the standpoint of t h e Collepe(b) Robert Taft, University of Kanaas. 2. The Suggested Pint-year Course in Chemistry of t h e Committee of the American Chemical Society-A. T . Bawden, Ottawa Univer~ity. 3. The relation of the General Science Course to later C o u n c ~in Chemistry and Physics-Ray MeClellen, Liberty Memorial H. S., Lawrence. 4. What preparation Should he Required of the Teachers of High School Chemistry and Physie-? Progvom of Soulhrvcri Sedion. 1. The High -School Chemistry Course as nuggerted by the American Chemical SacietyJohn M. Michcner. Chemistry Department, Wichita High School. 2. Use of the Electron Theory in t h e Teaching of Physics and Chemistry. written by Prof. Lawrence Oncley and to he read by Prof. Merle suter, both of the Chemistry and Physics Dept.. Southweatern C o l l e g ~ 3. Observation on Science Teaching J. E. Edgerton, High School Supervisor. 4. Getting Results in General Science. Mirr R u t h Rhoaden. Science Dept., El Dorzdo High School.
Tulane University. The chemical instruction in theSehaolr of Pharmacy and Dentistry, Tvlane University, han recently been reorganized under the direction of Prof. H. W. Moseley, Chairman of t h e Department of Chemistry. Mr. Ralph W. Bost. M A . , University of North Carolina. has been arroointed instructor in chemistry in there schools. MI. Pamy Borgstmm. Ph.D.. California, has been added t o the staff of t h e department of chemistrv. .. as Assistant Professor of Industrial Chemistry. Dr. Borqstrom was formerly associated with the department of bio~ehemistry, Tulane, and with the research lahorntory of applied chemistry. Mass. Inst.of Technology ~
Lmidana
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State University.
In
connection
with the building of the plant of the new State University a t Baton Rouge, a handsome new chemical laboratory is being built under the direction of Dr. Chas. E. Coater, professor of ehcmirtry. It will he finirhed and mady for oceupaney with the olleninz - of t h e universitv. .. in the Fall of 1925. The equipment and facilities of the laboratory are being modeled after t h e more recently constructed laboratories of Yale and Cornell. and when finished will be one of t h e finest ~ahor&e. of chemistry in t h e s o u t h . ~
University of Bu5alo. D. Kumro, B.S.. and M. Woodburn, B.S., inetrudors in chemistry a t the University of Buffalo last year are doing graduate work this year. The former is a t the University of Illinois and t h e latter at Northwestern University. L. M. ~ a w t o n , B.S. (Syracuse) and E. S. Pelowski, B.S., are the new inrtructars substituting for these men. Prof. E. R. Riegel, Chairman of t h e program committee t h e wentern NPW Y O I ~section or the A. C. S. has completed arrangements for meetings a t Buffalo and Niagara Falls during t h e coming searon. There is promise of interesting meetings since t h e speakerr' list includes Dr. G. H. A. Clowes, of Indianapolis, Prof. H. N. Holmes of Oherlin, Gen. Amos Fries of t h e C w s , Pmf. H. H. Willard of Univ. of Michigan, Dr. E. Emmef Reid of Johns Hopkinn, and Dr. Backland, Pmrident of the Society. Organization of Chemistry Tearhers. Prof. A. P. SY. of Ruffalo, N. Y.. reports t h a t plans arc being made to organize the chemistry teachers of Western New York, probably in connection with the Local Section of the A. C. S. Oberlin College. T h e Palmolive Soap Pellowship ($2000) has been awarded for t h e second year t o Mr. Paul H. Pall, an Oherlin graduate. The research work is being done with Dr. W. D. Baneroft at Cornell University. w e s t Virginia university. The w e s t Virginia U n i v ~ r r i t yhar opened with 782 chemistry students. There are 48 chemirtry majors in the College of Arts and science.. The new chemistry building at West Virginia University is progressing satisfactorily, The recond floor ie ready for the cement. The eontractors expect t o have t h e building under roof on or hefore mid-winter. R . B. Dustma", P h D., Chicago. A. R. Collett, P h D . , Yale, and C. E. Garland. P h D . . Johns Hopkinn. hhve joined the chemistry staff of w e s t Virginia uniueroity. Fellowship a t t h e University of Missouri This lellowship will pay one thousand dollar^ s
year. I t is expected t h a t t h e appointee will complete t h e work for t h e doctorate in connection with this investigation. The man mvrt have a good training in chemistry, a fair training i n physics, one or more courses i n phyrieal chemistry, preferably some colloid chemistry, a bent for investigation, some agricultural training or
ngricultural experience, n Master's Degree or who has practically completed the work necessary t o secure one, and some knowledge of foreign languages. For further information write t o Dr. Richard Bredfield. University of Missouri. College of Agriculture. Department of Soils, Columbia. Mo.
Recent Books A Diagnostic Study of the Subject M d t e r of High School Chemistry. By S. R. Powens, Ph.D. Teachers College Contribution t o Education. No. 149. Publi~hcd by Teachers College, Columbia University. 1924. viii. 84 pages. This monograph is a report of a study made at University of Minnesota. It ~ompriren 9 chapters, 25 tables and an appendix. T o ascertain the relative difficulty 01 topics taught in elementary ehemirtry, t h e ability in different schools, and t h e degree of retention of subject matter, 8 tests were run in 1 9 2 0 3 2 in 15 Minnesota high ~choaloand 28 high ~choolnoutside Minnesota. In all 350 items were used. from 20 t o 102 per test. These were selected from the most widely used texts and covered valence. elementr mixture. and compounds, chemical comporition, definitions, activity series, biography, chemical changes (laboratory and commercial), uses of substances, solubility, numerical ration and ealeulationn, names for formulas, formulas for names, completing equations and writing entire cqu*titions. T h e percentages of correct answers t o each item are given in full, are tabulated in different ways and then are discusred at length from t h e point of view of t h e difficulty of t h e items. They are given as foilow.: (1) the achievement in different rehwls, (2) do t h e items of the tests fairly represent t h e ~ u b j e c tmatter of t h e textb o o k ~ ? (3) how l m g d o students retain the facts which they have learned about chemistry? and (4) achievement of university students. Succeeding chapters deal with summaries, reeommendation. and conntruetion and study of t h e ~"ales. T o try t o abstract here t h e eonelusions derived from the tables would not do justice to the wealth of informstion found in these pages. T h e showing made by t h e students i n many cases is rather discouraging. "A large proportion of t h e textbook material means little or nothing to 50% or more of the students who have studied one of these texts in high school for one year."
The investigation reveals, however, t h a t radical change. in content of high school chemistry and methoda of instruction are much needed and indicated where some of these changes might be made. Constructive teachers would do well t o familiarize themselves with results of Dr. Powern' work. The monograph must he read closely t o get all t h e paints. Adverse criticisms are: certain items tend t o confuse the reader and make him lose the point, r . g., wide variation in t h e number of students taking test., and in t h e number of questionr in different sections of the tests, failure to bring out clearly t h e difference between t h e terms per cent correct, per cent acores, grade scores, scale scores, ranks, rank orders, medians, median scores, ability leveln, quartiles, etc. In n few instance9 abbreviations are u s e d without showing what they signify. Misprints were found on pages 4, 18, 19, 27, 46 and 55, but t h e context maker; t h e meaning clear. The phrase "the precipitation of caidum bicarbonate with slaked lime" on pages 23.24 and 43 is ambiguous. Some of t h e above criticisms disappear, however, if t h e monograph is intended for limited and specialized reading public rather than for general reading by teachers. Th: r r v l r w c r rrgr'tJ that m many of th" ,,em> Dr Powers ha* ~clrcrcddeal r i r h nomeoclaturr fact,. and i n , o , ~s r t m t wtlr or~ocmlcr. hianv . . of these are eai1,. forgotten. one wonders how t h e students would have fared on items testing their ability t o reason or t o think chemically. Many high school teachers trust t h a t they are getting across some of t h e reasoning ability rather than straight memory work. This does not eondemn t h e monograph under review b u t simply J u g g e t s anofher angle 01 approach. This monograph should he in t h e hands of every chemistry teacher and i t should prove of much help in t h e correlation work now being done by t h e Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical society.
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